The Official Blog for TeleVox Solutions

The Official Blog for TeleVox Solutions

Posted on December 11, 2014 by West Corporation

What Does That Mean? – 5 More Online Marketing Buzzwords and Why They Matter to You

In the world of SEO and online marketing, there are a number of terms thrown out at us and deemed as “important” from authoritative figures on the web. But which of these terms are worthy of our time and attention? Last month, we shared 5 key SEO and marketing buzzwords, their definitions, and why they matter to your practice. Each term plays an important role in establishing a strong presence online.

If you read the title of this post, you know what you’re getting here. Yep – 5 more. Let’s roll.

Page Rank

As a part of the algorithm Google uses to rank a website, the page rank metric is all about the number of valuable links pointing to a site. The page rank values from 0 to 10 determine a page’s importance, reliability and authority on the web. A few years ago, Google used the page rank of a site to determine its position in search results, and page rank was a major ranking factor. Obtaining links from pages with a higher page rank was seen as a way to earn a higher PR yourself. Today, page rank is one of over 200 ranking factors used by Google to determine how popular a page is. To Google, many inbound links from reputable sites with high page rank is a sign that people find your content useful, of good quality and relevant. Without question, the best way to get reputable websites with good page rank to link to you is through quality, relevant content.

QR Code

A QR or Quick Response code is a type of 2D barcode that can be read using mobile devices. When scanned with a smartphone or tablet, a QR code automatically opens some type of content on the device which could be a website, a marketing message, a video, audio clip or even a prompt to call or text a phone number. These black and white rather odd-looking codes are often placed in stores, on signage, on product packages, on websites and on printed and billboard advertisements.

In order to effectively use QR codes, you have to offer something people actually want like a freebie, useful information, money off, a limited time deal or the chance to be one of the first to try a new product or service. QR codes, which are easy and free to create, are effective marketing tools because they give you the opportunity to prompt people to act now and connect instantly. You can use QR codes at your place of business to get people to sign up for your newsletter, to join you on social media or as a way to offer limited-time deals.

Call To Action

For better or worse, the Internet has brought about a mentality of instant access, instant information and instant gratification. A call to action is an element on your website that invites the reader to take action. We see call to action messages routinely on websites and blogs wherein people are prompted to click a button or text in order receive more info, learn how to solve a problem or fulfill a need. The best performing calls to action are those that continue to educate readers and not those that only serve to get people to buy products or services. A call to action will be a call to nothing if the language used is boring or vague. It’s important to show some enthusiasm and use descriptive wording like “Sign Up Now Before Time Runs Out” rather than simply “Submit Form”.

Title Tags

Title tags are meant to accurately and concisely describe the content of web pages. The title tag is the most important on-page element of SEO, so it’s essential that you know how to write a good one. A title tag should be descriptive and include keywords so Google knows what types of search queries should present your web page. A title tag looks like this in HTML code: <title>Example Title</title>. It’s important to place the keywords that matter most at the start of the title tag because search engines assign more importance to the first word in a title tag than to subsequent words. Numerous studies have shown that the message you convey in a title tag can get you more traffic than the search result listing ranked above you, so taking the time necessary to write good title tags definitely pays off. Do keep in mind that title tags have a character limit and will be cut off if your title exceeds the number set forth by Google. To be safe, aim for anywhere from 55-60 characters in length when writing a custom title tag.

Meta Descriptions

A meta description is the snippet of information below the link of a search result (underneath the title tag). Its purpose is to describe the content of the web page to the searcher with the end goal being to convince the searcher to click through to the site. The better your meta description is, the more likely it is that you’ll have good click-through rates from organic search. A good meta description (which should be under 155 characters) must be written in action-oriented language that tells the reader exactly what they can expect if they click. Look at your meta descriptions as short sales pitches for your business. Refrain from stuffing a meta description with keywords and instead be concise and focus on creating a compelling description that a searcher will want to click. Even though meta descriptions are not important to search engine rankings, they are very important when it comes to gaining user click-throughs from the SERPs (search engine results pages). This is because meta descriptions serve as advertising copy, drawing readers to your site from search query results, making them an extremely important part of your marketing campaign.

As an Account Executive at Wpromote, Megan is responsible for assisting clients with their search engine marketing needs. While helping clients become recognized in search engines is an integral part of her job, she is also a regular contributor to the blog. In her spare time, Megan enjoys Dodger games and trying out new recipes like chocolate chip cookie dough truffles! Learn more about Wpromote at TeleVox.Wpromote.com

West Corporation (Nasdaq:WSTC) is a global provider of technology-enabled communication services. West helps manage or support essential enterprise communications with services that include unified communications services, safety services, interactive services such as automated notifications, telecom services and specialty agent services. For over 25 years, West has provided reliable, high-quality, voice and data services. West serves clients in a variety of industries including telecommunications, retail, financial services, public safety, technology and healthcare. West has a global organization with sales and operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America. For more information on West Corporation, please call 1-800-841-9000 or visit www.west.com.